Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Paul Heyman Guys, Carlito, Dean Malenko & More
DougMaynard.com
Doug Maynard

Merry Christmas Eve, my friends. It’s the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A. Are you ready to do this? Let’s roll.

Who was the best Paul Heyman guy?

The list of wrestling legends who can lay claim to being “Paul Heyman Guys” is astounding. Brock Lensar, Roman Reigns, CM Punk, The Big Show, Cesaro, Curtis Axel, Ryback, Rick Eudw, Steve Austin, The Original Midnight Express, every member of The Dangerous Alliance in WCW, the majority of the original ECW roster to some extent, etc. Heyman has had tremendous influence over so many superstars in professional wrestling, that it’s hard to narrow it down to just one. But I will. In my opinion, the ultimate Paul Heyman guy, above all others, would be… Brock Lesnar.

Where is Carlito? He was there for the match against Dragon Lee but was “injured” and hasn’t been seen since. Is he still part of WWE and the LWO?

I guess that he’s sitting at home, nursing a kayfabe injury, while WWE Creative decides which direction to go in the LWO storyline while Rey Mysterio recovers from his injuries and Santos Escobar establishes himself with his new partners, Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo. In other words, he could show back up at any time to seek retribution on Escobar and you know what? That would be cool.

Humberto Carrillo and Angel Garza are back on Smackdown and aligned with Santos Escobar. Thoughts?

I think this is a good thing. I’ve always liked Garza and feel that he and Carrillo are a very underrated team. I also was wondering why Garza wasn’t part of the LWO when his Uncle, Hector Garza, was an original member. This makes sense because Escobar and Angel were partners in the past in Mexico and have a noted long friendship and relationship. Now we can get some great six-man matches on Smackdown, plus maybe see Garza & Carrillo challenge for the tag team titles. This is a good move by WWE to bring these two men back to the main roster. I’m excited.

Triple H is making the decisions about the WWE Hall of Fame and who the Class of 2024 will be. Who would you like to see inducted?

With Triple H making the call instead of Vince, I think we see a better chance of the long-overdue inductions of Ivan Koloff and Demolition to the Hall of Fame, as well as The Midnight Express and Jim Cornette. WWE has already made inroads to repairing the relationship with Ken Shamrock as well, so he’s a strong possibility. William Regal and Triple H have a strong friendship that goes back decades so he’s a possibility. Add Mickie James and Victoria to the group and you’ve got a main event class of legends right there, ready to go.

Karrion Kross dropped the hint on Smackdown about the return of the Authors of Pain. So Kross, Scarlett, and the AOP were all under the guidance of Paul Ellering. Good idea or not?

I only wonder if they will be operating under the banner of The Legion of Doom, with Ellering in charge. It’s a formidable faction that could make a strong impact on the WWE. I’m interested in seeing where this goes.

Don Muraco versus Bobby Lashley. Who wins?

With both men in their prime, this would be one hell of a slobber knocker. The men are similar in size and power and the action would be controlled chaos at its very best. It could go either way. I think the edge though, just barely, goes to Lashley with his amateur and MMA background. Lashley would win.

60-minute Ironman match: Bruno Sammartino or Nick Bockwinkle. Who wins?

Bruno was a brawler and power wrestler who rarely went more than fifteen or twenty minutes. He didn’t need to. Bockwinkle was a smooth technician who went Broadway more often than not and was the master of wearing an opponent down. It wouldn’t be easy with someone as powerful as Bruno, but if anyone could do it and sneak out a victory at the end, Bockwinkle would probably be the one. Nick wins.

How would you react if Jim Cornette was the AEW Devil?

Honestly, I would laugh my ass off and probably have a fat-man heart attack in the process. It would be awesome. It would never happen of course, but just imagine the heads exploding and the internet goofs melting down. It would be amazing!

William Regal will be free to appear on WWE TV again very soon. How should WWE use him on television if they decide to go that route?

Given that WWE has three very distinct and talented people in the General Manager roles of RAW, Smackdown, and NXT, they don’t need him for any of those spots. I expect we’ll see him pop up every so often as the build for Wrestlemania moves forward and we tease toward a Hall of Fame induction. For now, I suspect just the occasional background scene or cameo will have to be sufficient.

Is Dean Malenko Hall of Fame worthy?

A solid performer in Japan, ECW, WCW, and the WWE, not to mention a former member of the Four Horsemen, I’d say Malenko is as worthy as anyone currently in the WWE Hall of Fame and more worthy than many. He had a solid career and continues to give back to the business as a trainer and producer in AEW. He belongs.

And there you go. My thanks for reading. Comments, thoughts, and any questions are welcome and appreciated. Be sure to like, share, and subscribe. And with that, let’s wrap things up. Have a very Merry Christmas, my friends, and watch out for The Grinch. He’s probably got a steel chair and a foreign object hidden in his hands. I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!